Jambalaya

Creole Jambalaya (Thanks Uncle Ken!)

Below is the “secret recipe” for, what is most certainly, the best Jambalaya on earth. If you have never had this fun sounding dish, beware that if you start with this you will never like any other variation or preparation out there, period. The mash that is used is our secret weapon in any spicy or Cajun dish. It is actually the mashed peppers from the Avery Island Tabasco plant, they scoop the bottom of the presses after the hot sauce is made and these are the dried remains. Beware, it packs a nicely heated punch and really makes any dish like steamed clams and chowders stand out. This is a large recipe, if you are cooking for less than 6 people I would recommend cutting it down. Many thanks to Uncle Ken, this will always be his recipe and I could never make it without thinking of him, he always makes it better.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil or bacon fat

2 chicken breasts

2 chicken legs and thighs

4 c chopped onions

¾ c chopped green pepper

¾ c thinly sliced green onion tops

1 tbsp minced garlic (or more)

3 tbsp minced fresh parsley

½ c finely chopped lean baked ham

1 lb pre-packaged smoked pork chops cut into ½ in cubes

1 lb andouille or garlic sausages, sliced into ½ in slices

2 tbsp Uncle Ken’s spice and herb mixture

½ tsp mash

1 ½ c long grain white rice

3 c water

½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a heavy large pot, heat the oil or bacon fat to high heat. Brown the chicken parts in the hot oil, turning them frequently. As the pieces brown, remove them to a larger platter. When all the chicken is browned and removed, add the vegetables, parsley, ham and pork to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables and pieces of meat are lightly browned. Add the sausages and Spice and Herb mixture and continue cooking for 5 minutes or more, then add the reserve chicken, rice, and water. Mix gently.

Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn the heat to very low. Cook for 45 minutes, uncovering from time to time to stir. Add the shrimp at this point. Uncover the pot and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes stirring gently and frequently as the rice dries out. Serve immediately.

*spice mixture contains salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, thyme, cloves, dried basil, mace, and whole bay leaves. I cannot divulge exact amounts as this is still a “secret” recipe J.

Habenero Corn Risotto

Habenero Corn Risotto

This has got to be one of my favorite all time recipes. I am a big spice fanatic and this is an excellent dish to really add some heat without sacrifices the dish's wonderful flavor. If you buy some of the items in bulk such as the rice and chicken broth, it is an easy go-to dinner that will taste better than most restaurants can compete with. Cooking time will be about 45-55 minutes, but trust me, it's worth it!

Ingredients:
-5-7 cups chicken broth
-1-2 cups Arborio rice
-1 cup chopped onion
-1 cup frozen white corn
-3 tsp ground cumin
-1/2 habenero pepper, finely chopped (or more for extra heat)
-2 cups grated parmesan cheese
-2 tbsp butter
-2 tbsp oil
-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large, deep pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. In a smaller pan, simmer chicken broth over low heat. Add onions and garlic to large pan, cook 4-5 minutes or until onions start to turn translucent. Add cumin and habenero, cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Now add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, or until rice turns opaque. Now add about 1 cup warm chicken broth and stir with rice. Keep adding bits of chicken broth as rice soaks it up, don't let mixture run dry. After about 10-15 minuted, or until rice is starting to become tender, add frozen corn and 1/4 cup cheese. Keep adding in cheese every 4-5 minutes, or about every other chicken broth addition, until the cheese is used up and rice is al dente. Serve on a plate with some freshly grated parmesan over the top. Enjoy!

Penne Rustica

Our next cooking adventure is set in Italy! Well, our kitchen is not that far away, but the food sure is good. Penne Rustica is a popular dish that offers many different variations and a great foundation for adding your own twists. We chose to take a more traditional approach, a variation very similar to the one offered at Macaroni Grill. This is a great dish to make for a lot of people, it is wonderfully rich and filling!


Ingredients:

This makes a lot, enough for 15, so cut it back for smaller groups
We decided to cut it by 1/3, for 5 people.

Gratinata sauce

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1n teaspoon dijon
• 1 teaspoon dill
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• 1 cup marsala wine
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 8 cups heavy cream

Penne Rustica

• 1 ounce bacon
• 18 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 12 ounces grilled chicken breasts, sliced
• 20 ounces penne pasta, cooked
• 6 ounces butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped shallot
• 1 pinch salt and pepper
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions

1. For Gratinata Sauce: Saute butter, garlic, and rosemary until garlic begins to brown.
2. Add Marsala wine and reduce by one-third.
3. Add remaining ingredients, reduce by half of the original volume.
4. Set aside.
5. For Penne Rustica: Saute bacon until it begins to brown.
6. Add butter, shallots, and shrimp.
7. Cook until shrimp are evenly pink but still translucent.
8. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and mix thoroughly.
9. Add gratinata sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
10. Simmer until sauce thickens.
11. In a large bowl, combine shrimp& chicken mixture with the cooked pasta.
12. Pour into a large casserole dish or roaster.
13. Top with remaining cheese, pimientos and sprinkle with paprika.
14. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
15. Remove and garnish with fresh rosemary sprig.

Meaty Merlot Chili

As the weather has been getting rainier and colder, we began wondering what sort of soup we might be able to create for a cozy night in. In the past we have experimented with chowders, tomato and chicken broth based soups, but have not fully explored the possibilities of Chili. Because of this, we decided it would be fun to gather ingredients we thought would be tasty and figure out a way to throw them together to create our very own unique Chili recipe. This endeavor proved to be much more successful than our last.

Meaty Merlot Chili

Ingredients:

1 ¼ lbs ground beef sirloin

5 hot Italian sausages, ground or chopped

4 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

½ jalepeño, finely diced

1 green pepper, chopped

1¾ cup Merlot wine

6 oz (1/2 bottle) beer (IPA strongly recommended)

1 can tomato paste

1 large can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 12 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 12 oz can kidney beans, drained

1 12 oz can black beans, drained

½-1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese to taste

4 tsp cumin

2-4 tsp chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a large pot, and then add onions and garlic, cooking over medium heat. Cook onions 5-7 minutes. Add ground beef and sausage and cook until juices run clear and the meat is nearly done. Add green pepper and jalepeño, cooking for 2 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in merlot and half of the beer, simmering for 4 minutes. Mix in beans and all of the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer all ingredients for 15 minutes and then add the last half of the beer and cook, covered, for another 10 minutes. Stir in most of the cheese. Remove from heat and serve in bowls with a sprinkle of cheese on top.

...the result...

A delicious Meaty Merlot Chili! And it lasted us several days, through several meals. This recipe is definitely big enough for a hearty family dinner! Just top with grated cheddar and serve with fresh cornbread. Yum!

Cooking Disasters

We consider ourselves good cooks, but there are the few occasions in which a cooking endeavor goes totally wrong. This past weekend, we decided to experiment in making our own white cream sauce, after taking inventory of the contents of the fridge and realizing that we were limited to cheese, cream, milk and orange juice.. It seemed easy! Just combine cheese, cream, milk, butter, some seasoning, and out would emerge a delicious creamy pasta sauce. Or so it seemed... We began by melting butter in a saucepan and slowly mixing in cream and grated parmesan cheese. Our intentions were to simply melt all the ingredients together until the mixture reached the correct consistency, yet we failed to realize that as the ingredients warmed together, they began to thicken not into a creamy sauce, but into what looked to us like clumpy gruel. Thinking that we would be able to cook the clumps out, we kept heating the mixture and found that in "reducing" the sauce, we only made it less liquid and more clumpy! In one final futile attempt to salvage our dinner, we decided to mix it in with the pasta and take a taste..upon which we realized with much dissapointment that it was totally inedible.

One may ask why would we post a story like this on a cooking blog? Becuase we believe that failures provide inspiration in cooking. After tasting our gruel pasta, we were inspired to discover what went wrong, and how we could learn how to make a cream sauce to rival those so easily whipped up by our Italian friends! It is easy to think that when cooking a meal, you simply mix in all the ingredients, and out comes a delicious concoction, pouf! But this is evidently not the case...

Because of this experience, we have been inspired to create our own cream sauce, through testing out recipes and adding our own ingredients and flavors.

More to come.

Oysterfest

We are currently working on organizing our existing recipes and coming up with new ones. Our goal is to share with you the recipes and new ingredients we have discovered over the years, and we hope you will join us in our explorations of cooking and beyond...

It is only proper that we begin our explorations at Oysterfest in Shelton, WA, which has been a family tradition of the Temple family for many years. Living in the Pacific Northwest, seafood is a staple ingredient, especially for those of us who enjoy cooking. Oysters are a delicacy enjoyed raw as well as a white canvas for hundreds of different recipes, including a barbecued, bacon-wrapped variation that we so thoroughly enjoyed this past weekend. Panko-breaded, fried, grilled, and chilled oysters with top notch microbrews and wines made for a fantastic weekend and a proper start to an adventure into tastes, recipes, and beyond!